BAGHDAD - The Iraqi Prime Minister on Friday harshly criticised calls by his rival for international involvement in setting up a new government following the close-fought parliamentary elections, saying such a role would harm Iraq's efforts to become a self-reliant country. Nouri al-Maliki also hinted at some sort of international plot to stage a coup through ballots ��" in the latest escalation of the war of words in Iraq's post-election impasse following the March 7 vote. Al-Maliki's Shi'ite coalition narrowly lost by two seats to former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's cross-sectarian Iraqiya Party, but neither garnered enough to rule alone, setting off protracted wrangling over the formation of the next government. In what others have said were attempts to hold on to power, al-Maliki's bloc has since requested recounts in several provinces. Meanwhile, a commission responsible for vetting candidates for ties to old regime has recommended disqualifying several Iraqiya winners. The moves prompted Allawi to warn of an effort to "steal" the election and has called for an international supervised caretaker government to oversee the process of determining the election results and forming a new government. Even al-Maliki's foreign minister has suggested that the UN could become more involved in the process.